In February 2020 Africa's largest, and arguably most important, art fair took place in Cape Town. The Investec Cape Town Art Fair was populated by over 60 booths in the main gallery section, originating from  South Africa, Africa, Italy, Belgium, Germany and elsewhere in the world. This solidified the international character not only of this art fair, but indeed this art capital's connection, and reliance on, the global art market.   In juxtaposition to, and alongside, this fair, two art auctions of predominantly contemporary African art were staged. The confluence of all these events presented an ideal opportunity to measure the pulse of this art market.   

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Our upcoming short-format report will offer insight into the following;

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• The development of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair and its status in the Cape Town art ecosystem. 

• The artworks and the artists in demand at this art fair.

• The aesthetic and ideological trends detected in the art.

• Pricing patterns along gallery, country and artist status lines at the art fairs.

• A comparison between the art fair and auction sales and how they reveal collecting patterns in this art capital during this time of the year.

• A comparison with other art markets and fairs in Africa; Joburg and Lagos.